Turbine rotor



March 10, 1953 T. SWANSEN 2,631,004

TURBINE ROTOR Filed July 9, 1948 Teadarel Swans e72 ifzarzeeya Patented Mar. 10, 1953 TURBINE ROTOR Theodore L. Swanson, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to United Specialties Company, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware Application July 9, 1948, Serial No. 37,799

6 Claims. (Cl. 253-39) This invention relates to a turbine wheel or rotor and particularly to the method of constructing the wheel and to the application of buckets to a wheel. It has for one object to provide means for retaining the buckets in place.

Another object is to provide means affected by centrifugal force for adding to the holding effect on the buckets when the rotor is in rotation.

Another object is to provide means for constructing a turbine rotor including buckets and to provide members in the wheel or rotor so shaped and disposed that they act under centrifugal force to increase the holding effect on the buckets when centrifugal action would tend increasingly to displace the buckets.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specification and claims.

This invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view with parts broken away and parts in section, illustrating one form of the invention;

Fi ure 2 is a transverse section taken at line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail taken on an enlarged scale at line 33 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one form of bucket which may be used in the rotor.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and the drawings.

As shown, the rotor comp-rises a central disclike member 2 which is provided With oppositely placed grooves 2, 2 preferably adjacent its outer edge. Buckets 3, 3 are provided with wheel engaging parts 4, 4. The buckets and the parts are so shaped that they can fit over the peripheral enlargement of the disc 1. The member 5 is referred to as an enlargement because it is thicker than that portion of the disc I in which the grooves 2 are formed. Actually as shown the peripheral portion 5 is of substantially the same thickness as the main body of the disc I, although it might be of different thickness.

In assembling the rotor the members 4 of the buckets 5 are preferablyinwardly bent, as at 6, and they are slipped or sprung over the peripheral member 5.

The buckets may be of any design. As shown, they are formed of tubular members which are shaped and cut to provide the bucket portion and the members 1. The invention is not limited to any particular type or construction of bucket. Whatever the shape or construction of the bucket, it will, however, be provided with members comparable to or the equivalent of the portions so that the bucket whenin position will straddle the edgeor peripheral enlargement 5 of the rotor I, and theportions 6 will be engaged behind the shoulder which is-formed by the grooves 2. After the buckets are in place, the portion ii is forced into the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 to lie against the inner face of the grooves 2. Thereafter retainer rings 8, which may be formed of wire and may or may not be endless, are fitted in place. They lie within the grooves 2 and engage the portions 6 0f the bucket parts 4. The portions 5 are then bent or wrapped around the members 8 and occupy the position and shape shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Thereafter pressure rings 9 are positioned in each groove 2. These rings are free within the assemblythat is to say, they are not positively fastened in place. They are merely dimensioned to fit within the grooves and preferably to fit with some snugness.

There are thereafter applied to the rotor retaining plates l0, It. These plates may, if desired, be peripherally flanged as at l I. They are held in place by bolts l2 and nuts i3. If desired, they might be riveted in place. Positioning dowels It may be used, if desired. A shaft 15 is provided with a hub-like member I6 which is engaged by the bolts [2 or by the rivets or other fastening means which may be used. The structure thus includes the shaft and the member it upon which the rotor assembly is mounted.

Although I have shown an operative form of my invention, it will be recognized that many changes in the form, shape and arrangement of parts can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and my showing is, therefore, to be taken as, in a sense, diagrammatic.

The use and operation of this invention are as follows:

With the parts assembled as shown, the rotor is positioned in a turbine or elsewhere and is contacted by the driving fluid. Suitable nozzles which form no part of the invention direct the fluid against the buckets. Rotation of the rotor under the influence ofthe driving fluid sets up centrifugal efiects which would tend to displace the buckets from the wheel. The buckets are initially held in place by their shape and are engaged by the wire members-3. The wires act as fillers about which the ends t of the buckets are bent. By their shape they provide a convenient radius about which to bend the members 4. The wires 8 may or may not be continuous.

As rotation increases, the tendency of the buckets to be displaced is increased. The buckets could be displaced only by breakage of the members t or by successively bending them about the retainer 8 as the buckets slip or fly outwardly.

As centrifugal force is developed, the pressure rings 5', which are not positively fastened in place, swell or enlarge and consequently exert a constantly increasing pressureupon the members Al -particularly upon the portions 6 of those members which are in place about the wire retainers 8, and thus as centrifugal force is increased and as the tendency of the buckets to be dislodged'is increaseda counter .efifect is set up. This counter effect is set upby centrifugal force and is efiective in causing the pressure rings 9 to bear upon the bucket parts 6 and to hold them more and more tightly and positively in place as the centrifugal force is increased.

I claim: V

1. In combination in a turbine rotor, a wheel member formed. with a plurality of concentric, oppositely positioned annular, inwardly facing shoulders in its exterior inward of its periphery, a plurality of buckets, each bucket provided with a pair of attaching members, said buckets being placed on the periphery of said wheel member, with their attaching members positioned on each side of said wheel member and positioned one against each of said shoulders, filler pieces about ing members to clamp them securely against said I shoulders. 7

2 In combination in a turbine rotor, a wheel member formed with a plurality of concentric,

oppositely positioned inwardly facing shoulders in its exterior inward of its, periphery, a plurality of buckets, each. bucket provided with a pair of attaching members, said buckets being placed on the periphery of said wheel member, with their attaching members positioned on each side of said wheel-member, and positioned one against each of said shoulders, and a plurality of relatively massive. concentric ring members positioned one adjacent each-of .said shoulders and completely inward of and in contact with the bucket attaching members, said ring members being free to move with increasing pressure against said bucket attaching means under the influence of centrifugal force, to clamp them against said shoulders, and retaining members positioned one on each side of said wheel member laterally outward of said shoulders in position to retain said pressure members in position. 7

3. In combination in, aturbine rotor, a wheel member formed with a-plurality of concentric, oppositely positioned inwardly facing shoulders in its exterior inward of its periphery, a plurality of buckets, each bucket provided with a pair of identical, symmetrically-placed attaching members, said buckets-being placedo'n the periphery of said wheel member, with their attaching members positioned on each side of said wheel memher, and positionedoneeagainst each of said shoulders, and a plurality of centrifugally responsiv pressure ring members positioned one adjacent each of said shoulders and entirely in wardof the bucket attaching members, said ring members beingfree to move with increasing pressure against said bucket attaching members under the infiuenceof centrifugal force, to clamp them against said shoulders, and retaining members positioned one on each side of said wheel member laterally outward of said shoulders in position to retain said pressure members in posiion.

i111 combination inaturbine rotor, a wheel member having a pair ioffihblll ders oppositely positioned, one on each side of said wheel member, a plurality of buckets, each formed with a pair of wheel-engaging members, said wheel-engaging members positioned against said shoulders, and filler means positioned against said wheel-engaging members and inwardly of said shoulders, said wheel-engaging members being positioned in part about said filler means, and pressure members positioned one adjacent and inwardly of each wheel-engaging member, and free for radial movement under the influence of centrifugal force, and means for retaining said pressure members within said turbine rotor.

5. In combination in a turbine rotor, a wheel member having a pairof grooves oppositely positioned inwardly of its periphery, one on each side of said wheel member, a plurality of buckets, each formed with a pair of wheel-engaging members, said wheel-engaging members extending into said grooves, and filler means positioned one within each groove, said wheel-engaging members being positioned in part about said filler means, and pressure members positioned inwardly of said filler means and one within each groove, and free for radial expansion and radial movement under the influence of centrifugal force, and means for retaining said pressure members within said turbine rotor.

6. In combination in a turbine rotor, a Wheel member shaped near its periphery to form a pair of annular cavities the radially outer walls of which define inwardly-facing annular-shoulders, said cavities being positioned one on each side of said whee-l member, one wall of each cavity being formed by a pair of disc members positioned on either side of said wheel member laterally outward of said shoulders, said disc members being shaped to provide narrow annular openings communicating with said cavities, said annular openings being located substantially at the major diamete of said cavities and adjacent the radially outer walls of said cavities, a plurality of buckets positioned on said Wheel member, each of said buckets having a pair of wheel engaging members positioned one on each side of said wheel member and extending within the respective cavities, said wheel engaging members being bent to engage the radially outer walls of said cavities, a pair'o'f relatively massive ring members positioned freely within each of said cavities so that each 'may bearwith increasing pressure against said wheel engagingmembers under the influence of centrifugal force, and means for holding the disc members and wheel member together.

THEODORE L. SWANSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: v V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 905,469 Rice Dec. 1, 1903 1,935,543 Aug. 13, 1912 1,891,948 Dec. 2'7, 1932 2,484,274: Eastman Oct. 11, 1949 2,559,013 Eastman July 3, 1951 V For-re gn PATENTS Number Country Date 873,700 France Apr. 7, 1942 

